Coupler lock controlling device



June 14, 1932. w. KELSQ 1 1,862,790

COUPLER LOCK CONTROLLING DEVICE Filed June 23, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1June 14, 1932. w. KELSO 1,862,790

COUPLER LOCK CONTROLLING DEVICE Filed June 23, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented June 14, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM KELSO, OFPITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB TO THE MCCONVJAY v(it TORLEY COMPANY,OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA COUPLERLOCK CONTROLLING DEVICE My invention relates to a device for controlling the movements of the look by which the rotatable knuckle of acar coupler is normally restrained from performing an uncouplingrotation, and while it is especially suitable for application to thewell known bottom operated form of D-type coupler it is also applicableto any coupler having the same general is means. 7

The principal object of the invention is to provide an uncoupling devicenot only serving to move the coupler lock to unlocked position but alsooperating to prevent the lock from accidentally moving to unlockedposition as the result of the shocks and jars to which the coupler issubjected when in service.

The principal feature of the invention consists in actuating the lock ofacar coupler 21, through the instrumentality of two vertically rotatablemembers, one of which is movably connected to the coupler lock, thesaid'rotatable members being so formed and related that movement of oneof them actuates the as other to causean unlocking movement of thecoupler look, while an accidental unlocking movement of the coupler lockcauses an interlocking of the vertically rotatable members preventingthe said lock from moving to to iuilocked position.

Other features of the invention pertaining to advantageous combinationsand relations of parts and desirable structural details will hereinafterappear and be pointed out in the 3:, claims.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiments of the invention:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an American Railway Association standardD-coupler having my invent-ion applied thereto, a well known form ofcoupler carrier being shown associated therewith, the parts being innor-' mal locked position.

Figure 2 is a detail view, partly in side if: elevation and partly insection, of a portion of the construction shown in Figure 1, the partsbeing in the positions they assume when the coupler lock accidentallymoves towardunlocked position. v

Figure 3 is a view corresponding to Figure character of lock actuating2, but illustrating the positions assumed by e the parts when the lockcontrolling mechanism is actuated to move the lock to unlocked position.

Figure i is a detail plan view of the vertically rotatable lifter bar. I

Figure 5 is a detail end elevational view of the lifter bar.

In the drawings 1 indicates a car coupler having a head 2 upon which aknuckle 3 is rotatably'mounted by means of apivotpin4in the usualmanner, the knuckle being normally restrained from rotating to uncoupledposition by means of a lock 5. In the form of the invention illustrated,all of these parts conform in detail to corresponding parts of theD-type coupler. The lock lift link 6 which is slidably and pivotallyconnected to the lock 5 in the well known way may also be like thecorresponding part employed in the standard D-coupler of thebottom-operated type.

Pivotally mounted upon the under side of the coupler head, as by meansof a pin 7 is a lock lift lever 8 pivotally connected to the link ortogglemember 6 at 9. At its lower end the lock lift lever 8.is formedwith an opening 10 for receiving the hooked forward end 11 of avertically rotatable lifter bar 12.

At its forward end the lifter bar 12 is provided with a lug orprojection 13 preferably extending vertically on opposite. sides of themain bodyof the lifter said bar to be applied to the lock lift lever 8either from the right or the left side of the lock as may be desirable.7

When the parts are in normal locked relation, as shown in Figure 1, thelug 13 of the lifter bar occupies the narrow lower portion 1.4 of theopening 10 in the lock lift lever the walls of this portion of theopening 10 being preferably substantially parallel. Above itsconstricted portion 14 the opening 10 is enlarged, as at 15, to affordclearance for the lug 13 of the lifter bar 12 permitting the said bar12, thus enabling member 17 for the larged portion of the opening 10 arepreferably curved while the walls of the lower narrower portion of saidopening are preferably straight. Between the portions 14 and 15 of thehook receiving opening 10 of the lock lift lever the latter is formedwith a shoulder or projection 16 which stands adjacent to and overhangsthe upper end of the lug 13 of the lifter bar when the parts are innormal locked relation.

As shown in Figure 2 this lockdown projection 16 cooperates with theupper end of the lug 13 to prevent the escape of said lug from thenarrow portion of the opening 10 in the lift lever when the latterattempts to swing upwardly in response to an accidental unlockingmovement of the coupler lock 5 communicated through the link member 6.

The vertically rotatable lifter bar 12 is slidably supported toward itsrear end by a member 17 which is slotted at its lower end to receive thebar, the lower end of the slot being bridged by a bolt 18 upon which themember 12 normally rests. Above the bar 12 the urn coupling support 17is provided with a fixed cross bar or projection 19 upon which thelifter bar fulcrums when it executes an upward swinging movement in theact of unlocking the coupler. The portion of the lifter bar or lever 12which cooperates with the bolt 18 and fulcrum 19 is preferably made ofsquare or rectangular cross section as fiat bearing surfaces are therebyprovided for contact with the said bolt and fulcrum. The squaresectional form of this portion of the lifter bar is also advantageous inthat itovercomes any tendency of the lifter bar to revolve or rotatebecause of the hook portion 11 of the bar being heavier upon one sidethan upon the other.

The mechanism for preventing accidental unlocking of the coupler may beused with any uncoupling device affording means for limiting the upwardmovement of the rear portion of the lifter bar, whether such means issupplied by a cross bar or fulcrum member such as 19 on a rigid support,as shown in the drawings, or is composed of several members not rigidlyconnected, as disclosed for example in Patent No. 1,507,244, grantedSeptenr her 2, 1924 to Milliken, et al.

For purposes of illustration the supporting lift-er bar 12' is shown asassociated with a coupler carrier device 20 (see Fig. 1) of a well knownform now commonly employed on Pullman cars, and the uncoupling mechanismforcommunicating an unlocking rotation to the lifter bar is alsoillustrated as of the well known form in which a transveisely extendingupwardly rotatable crank member 21 having arms 22 is pivotally suspendedfrom the coupler carrier by links 23 the crank member 21 being adaptedto be swung upwardly by means of rotatable uncoupling levers 24 whichextend in opposite directions toward the sides of the car.

When the lock lift lever 8 and the uncoupling bar 12 are in normallocked relation, as shown in Figure 1, accidental unlocking of thecoupler lock 5 is prevented. Upon the occurrence of said accidentalupward movement of the coupler lock the lock lift lever 8 is rotated,being drawn upward by the link 01' toggle member 6 until the rear end ofthe lifter bar 12 comes into contact with the cross bar or fulcrumprojection 19 of the support ing member 17. As the lug 18 at the forwardend of the lifter bar 12 then occupies the constricted portion 14 of theopening in the lever 8, the lifter bar cannot rotate with respect to thelift lever 8 and consequently as its contact with the projection 19prevents the rear end of the bar from rising, continued upward movementof the lock lift lever 8, the link 6 and the coupler lock 5 connectedthereto is arrested. l/Vhen however it is desired to effect unlockingmovement of the coupling lock the upward rotation of the crank member 21of the uncoupling mechanism causes the lug 13 at the forward end of thelifter bar to move upwardly out of the constricted lower ortion 1% ofthe opening in the lock lift lever 8, thereby, as shown in Figure 8,positioning said lug 13 in the wider portion 15 of the lock lift leverslot. When the forward end of the lifter bar 12 has reached the upperend of the opening 10 in the lever 8 the continued up ward movement ofthe crank 21 of the uncoupling mechanism causes the lifter bar 12 tofulcrum upon the projection 19 and execute an upward swinging movement,thus causing the lever 8, link member 6 and conpler lock 5 to execute afull uncoupling movement.

While my invention provides a lock-to-thelock device which is efiicientand complete in itself and is therefore particularly well suited forapplication to a car coupler not otherwise supplied with means forpreventing the coupler lock from accidentally moving to unlockedposition, it will be appreciated that mechanism embodying the inventionmay be as.-.;ociated with a coupler already equi p with lock-to-the-lockmeans, providing in such a case an additional safeguard against thecoupler becoming accidentally unlocked when in service.

I claim:

1. In mechanism of the character indicated, the combination with a carcoupler having a lock, of a device for controlling said lock, saiddevice being adapted to move the lock to un locked position and toprevent it from accidentally moving to unlocked position and including aplurality of movably connected members one of which movably mounted uponthe coupler, said members being provided with means whereby they areinterlocked in one relative position to prevent them from executinguncoupling movements luf) corresponding to an unlocking movement of thecoupler lock and whereby when they are in another relative position theyare free to execute uncoupling movements corresponding to an unlockingof the lock.

2. In mechanism of the character indicated, the combination with a carcoupler having a lock, of a device for controlling said lock, saiddevice being adapted to move the lock to unlocked position and topreventit from accidentally moving to unlocked position and including avertically rotatable lock lift lever pivotally mounted upon the couplerhead and a swinging lifter bar movably connected to said lever andextending rearwardly from the latter, means for actuating the lifter barto cause an uncoupling rotation of said lever, and means for cooperatingwith said lifter bar to limit upward movement of the rear end thelatter, said lever and lifter bar having cooperating portions whichinterlocking ly engage to prevent relative movement of said lever andbar when said lock accidentally attempts to move to unlocked position,and said bar being adapted to actuate said lever to cause the latter toexecute an uncoupling movement corresponding to an unlocking of saidlock.

3. In mechanism of the character indicated, the combination with a carcoupler having a lock, of a device for controlling said lock, saiddevice being adapted to move the lock to unlocked position and toprevent it from accidentally moving to unlocked position and including aplurality of rotatable members one of which is adapted to actuate theother, said members being movably connected and one of them being formedwith an opening having a constricted portion and the other having aportion adapted to extend into said constricted portion of the openingso as to lock said members against movement permitting the coupler lockto move to unlocked position.

, 4t. In mechanism of the character indicated, the combination with acar coupler having a lock, of a device for controlling said lock, saiddevice being adapted to move the lock to unlocked position and toprevent it from accidentally moving to unlocked position and including alock lift lever pivot-ally mounted upon the car coupler, a swinginglifter bar for actuating said lever, means for actuating the lifter barto cause it to perform an uncoupling movement, and means cooperatingwith the lifter bar to forma fulcrum therefor, the pivotal point of saidlever and said fulcrum being in spaced relation, said lever beingprovided with an opening and said bar being provided at its forward endwith a hooked portion extending through said opening, said bar beingprovided at its hooked end with a lug and the said opening being formedwith a constricted portion for receiving said lug when the parts ar i ol locked relation. a

5. In mechanism ofzthe character indicated, the combination with a carcoupler having a lock, a device for controlling said lock, said devicebeing adapted to move the lock to unlocked-position'andto prevent itfrom accidentally moving to unlocked position and including a lock liftlever pivotally connected to-the underside of the coupler head andhaving anopening'in its freeend which is widerat the top than at thebottom, an upwardly swinging lifter bar having'a portion extending intosaid opening, means for slidably supporting the lifter bar rearwardly:ofsaid lever, means for actuating the lifter barto cause it to execute anun:-v

coupling movement, anda fulcrumzfor said lifter bar,.said Y bar beingprovided at its forward endwith a projection which when positioned inthe narrower part of said opening in the lock lift lever prevents saidlever from executing an uncoupling movement,

and being provided at its forward end with a hook .whereby it is movablyconnected to the lock lift lever and having a portion toward its rearend which is of non-circular cross-section .6, In 7 mechanism of thecharacter indicated, tl 1e combination with a car coupler having a lock,of a device for controlling said lock, said device being adapted to movethe lock to unlocked position and to prevent it from accidentallyassuming unlocked position and including a vertically rotatable locklift lever pivotally connected to the coupler head and formed with anopening having a constricted lower portion, a vertically swinging lifterbar supported at its forward end by said lever and extending rearwardlyfrom the lever, means for slidably supporting the lifter bar rearwardlyof said lever, means forming a fulcrum for the lifter bar, saidlastnamed means being adapted to limit upward movement of the rear end ofsaid bar, and means for actuating the lifter bar, said lifter bar beingprovided at its forward end I with a lug adapted to enter theconstricted portion of the opening in the lock lift lever and tocooperate with the latter to prevent it from executing an uncouplingrotation, and the wall of said opening in the lock lift lever beingformed adjacent the constricted portion of said opening with aprojection adapted tooverlap the upper end of the said lug uponthe'lifter bar.

7. In mechanism of the character indicated, the combination with a carcoupler having a lock, of a device for controlling said lock, saiddevice being adapted to move the lock to unlocked position and toprevent it from accidentally assuming unlocked position and including alock lift lever pivotally connected'to the coupler head and provided atits free end with an opening which lifter bar having a hookedforwardend'em tending through said opening, means for sli dab-1ysupporting the li-fter liar rearwardly of said lever, and means foractuating thelifter bar, the forward end of the lifter bar beingprovided with a lug projecting tin opposite directions from said hookedportion and adapted to be received in the narrower part of said openingin the-lock lift lever, whereby the lifter bar is adapted to beassembled with said lever in a pluralityof positions.

8. In mechanism of the character indicated, the combination with a carcoupler having a lock, of (a device for controlling said lock, saiddevice being adapted to move the lock to unlocked position and'to"prevent it from accidentally assuming unlocked possition, andincludingra lock lift lever positioned beneath the coupler head andpivotally connected thereto, a link member movably connecting the leverto said lock, and for actuating said lever, said lever and said meansbeing'provided with interlocking portions constituting means forpreventing said lever from accidentally executing an uncouplingmovement.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM KELSO.

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